(by Steve Hopkins, photo ITTFWorld)

The third Dusseldorf Masters event was a real surprise.  The participants are a mix of seasoned pros and young players, so all of the names are not recognizable ones – but the surprise this week was bigger than most.  The winner of the third Dusseldorf Masters Event was Kay Stumper, an 18 year old German.

Stumper is not unknown in Europe – last Fall he won the European Youth Top 10, defending the title he had first won in 2019.  He didn’t just win, he was undefeated – mowing through the best juniors in Europe.  Just two months ago when his TTC Neu-Ulm team battled Borussia Dusseldorf, Stumper drew Timo Boll and played a tight match (losing 3-1, but having lead late in three of the four games).

After two weeks of top pros logging wins (Kallberg in Week 1, and Ovtcharov in Week 2), in Dusseldorf today it was all young kids in the semifinals.  In addition to Stumper, the other three young players were Cedric Meissner, Benno Oehme, and Nils Hohmeier.  Meissner and Stumper each won their Semifinal match 3-0 and in the Final it was Stumper dominating with a 3-0 win.

In the Dusseldorf Masters series points accumulate.  Many of the top players don’t (or can’t) play every week, so consistency matters. The winners accumulate 50 points, a finalist (loser) receives 30 points, and a semifinalist receives 20 points.  Not only does this win vault Stumper near the top, the consistency of Meissner and Oehme who have each finished in the Top 4 in all three events not makes them the leaders.

Current Point Totals:  Meissner 70, Oehme 60, Stumper 50, Ovtcharov 50, Kallberg 50, Duda 30, Assar 30.

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